ORLANDO, Fla. (July 8, 2022) - Orlando Pride (3-5-3, 12 points) earned its first home win of the season on Friday night, defeating the Houston Dash (4-3-4, 15 points) 1-0 at Exploria Stadium. This was the first game the Pride had played at Exploria stadium in six weeks after spending June on the road and playing in Daytona last week.
The game-winning goal on the night came courtesy of Pride defender Kylie Strom in the 79th minute, who caused an own goal off a Houston defender. The goal marked Strom's second-straight game being involved in a score, after last week picking up her first NWSL goal against Racing Louisville FC.
Pride goalkeeper Erin Mcleod tallied her second clean sheet of the season making two saves. Her first of the year came in the 1-0 win over Angel City FC. The shutout also marks the 10th of her NWSL regular season career.
Acting Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines also earned his first victory at the helm. Hines joined the Pride coaching staff after playing for Orlando City SC of Major League Soccer in their inaugural season in 2015.
Acting Orlando Pride Head Coach Seb Hines:
“I think the players understood today that winning is hard. It is hard work and it was a collective effort. They had a real grit and determination on and off the ball. Houston causes some problems, like we had to try and figure it out. They clogged the middle and the areas that we like to exploit. We had to get some thinking at halftime about how we are going to create more goal scoring opportunities. We deserved a goal. It was a lucky goal, but we deserved it. We deserved to win last week and we deserved to win this week. A little bit of luck went on our side. Overall, I can’t talk about the players enough and say how well they did. The players that came on made a difference and they understand that it is a collective effort. It is not just individuals, it is a team.”
Scoring Recap:
79’ Ally Prisock (OG) - ORL 1, HOU 0
The Pride earned the breakthrough after Carrie Lawrence put the ball back into the box following a clearance from the Houston defense and found Kylie Strom behind the back line. Strom was able to flick the ball with her head towards the goal, with it hitting off Houston's Ally Prisock and past a diving Dash goalkeeper into the back of the net.
Match Notes:
- Kylie Strom was involved in a goal in her second consecutive goal after hitting the back of the net for the first time in a Pride kit last week against Racing Louisville.
- Erin McLeod earned her 11th shutout across all NWSL competitions and the 10th of the regular season. The clean sheet also marks the third of her career while with the Pride.
- With today’s start, Megan Montefusco appeared in her 150th game across all NWSL competitions.
- Entering as a 54th-minute substitute, midfielder Chelsee Washington made her first appearance of the 2022 regular season.
- Acting Head Coach Seb Hines earned his first win as acting head coach with the Pride.
- Hines made two changes to his starting lineup from the side’s last outing against Racing Louisville, with Carrie Lawrence and Kerry Abello reentering the Starting XI.
Next Match: Orlando will hit the road and head to Audi Field to take on the Washington Spirit on Sunday, July 17. Kickoff for the match is set for 5 p.m. ET.
